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India looks seawards to re-establish itself: Pranab
Saturday, June 30, 2007
20:41 IST
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Kolkata: India is looking seawards to re- establish itself as not just a continental power but also as a maritime power, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said Saturday.
"After almost a millennium of inward and landward focus, we are again turning our gaze outwards and seawards, which is the natural direction of view for a nation seeking to re- establish itself not simply as a continental power but even more so as a maritime power," Mukherjee said while delivering the Admiral A K Chatterji memorial lecture here.
Mukherjee, who was defence minister before taking over as external affairs minister, said India has no territorial ambitions and no desire to establish any form of regional or extra-regional hegemony.
"However, the absence of hegemonistic intent ought not to imply any neglect of security, for it is when the Indian ruling elites forgot the imperatives of maritime security that ancient and medieval India's dominance of world trade was lost," he said.
Maritime power, in its true sense, is military, political and economic power exerted through an ability to use the sea or deny its use to others, he said.
India's exclusive maritime economic zone will soon increase to 2.54 million sq km and this will bring to the country immense wealth through exploration of undersea mineral resources and oil, he pointed out.
To add to this treasure trove, the UN has allotted India 1.5 lakh sq km for deep sea mining in the mid-Indian Ocean and this will help the country get access to huge energy resources, he remarked.
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Saturday, June 30, 2007
20:41 IST
Blog this story
Kolkata: India is looking seawards to re- establish itself as not just a continental power but also as a maritime power, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said Saturday.
"After almost a millennium of inward and landward focus, we are again turning our gaze outwards and seawards, which is the natural direction of view for a nation seeking to re- establish itself not simply as a continental power but even more so as a maritime power," Mukherjee said while delivering the Admiral A K Chatterji memorial lecture here.
Mukherjee, who was defence minister before taking over as external affairs minister, said India has no territorial ambitions and no desire to establish any form of regional or extra-regional hegemony.
"However, the absence of hegemonistic intent ought not to imply any neglect of security, for it is when the Indian ruling elites forgot the imperatives of maritime security that ancient and medieval India's dominance of world trade was lost," he said.
Maritime power, in its true sense, is military, political and economic power exerted through an ability to use the sea or deny its use to others, he said.
India's exclusive maritime economic zone will soon increase to 2.54 million sq km and this will bring to the country immense wealth through exploration of undersea mineral resources and oil, he pointed out.
To add to this treasure trove, the UN has allotted India 1.5 lakh sq km for deep sea mining in the mid-Indian Ocean and this will help the country get access to huge energy resources, he remarked.
© Copyright 2006 PTI. All rights reserved.
Current user Rating : 5 by 6 user(s).
RATE THIS PAGE
